The sun was setting in the lower end of Manhattan. Waves of oranges, yellows, and reds filled the sky. It was the most perfect sky, on an even more perfect day. My hands rested on the rails of the balcony looking out over the city. The cool breeze of the New York late August weather caused the satin of my white dress to blow in the breeze, goosebumps formed on my bare shoulders, the curls of my freshly done hair blew in the wind. I exhaled a deep breath. This day had finally come.  All the dreams I had over the years were coming true one by one.

None of those dreams included passing a midterm, becoming the next superstar doctor of the Kinsey family, or even taking the last name of a man I didn't love. I was Arabella Kinsey. I was the person I had always wanted to be. I was Bells. I was an inspiring shoe designer about to embark on the new world. I was a strong confident woman who could stand on her own two feet no matter what life could throw at her and still make the dreams come true.

"Hey gorgeous!" He voice flowed out in his perfect tone.

I turned around to see Justin standing in the doorway in his black suit. The unbelievable satisfaction I get from that man standing in the doorway was enough for me.

"The car will be here in a few minutes. Are you ready to go?" he asked.

I nodded my head yes. I was ready for the rest of my life.

Walking into the apartment I pick up the remote laying on the side table, un-muting the television I hear the voice of a woman starting to rein through the space. Images of myself sprawled all over the screen, I pressed the arrow button, turning up the volume.

"Arabella Kinsey is about to embark on her life in the fashion world. She debut her line last night in New York City to a surprising hit, there is no question on the natural talent and ability she brought to this line." The warmth of achievement never felt so great. "She may come from generations of doctors, carry the doctrine within her own name, and be dating the most eligible bachelor in the world..."

 Justin takes the remote out of my hand, pressing pause. "It doesn't matter what they think..." he took his hand placing it into mine. "...your creations are sexy with a touch of sophistication in a vision I haven't seen before."

I took the remote back out of his hand, placing it into mine. "I love you and I love that you want to protect me...but I want to know. I want some feedback, from someone that doesn't know me. Someone that doesn't love me. Someone that isn't scared to hurt my feelings."

He takes the remote out of my hand, "I would tell you if you sucked." A smirk landed on his face, "But I respect your choice." He pressed the play button and the light on the television came back on, revealing the same woman continuing to speak.

"But it was clear that she was born to design shoes. She outshined everything that has come past her recently. Anyone who matters in this industry was at the debut and all seemed very pleased with what she brought to the catwalk. The grand opening tonight of her store, "Bells" in Manhattan will be the first of many if she continues to deliver lines like the first."

My placed my hand over my mouth. Surprised by her words. "You already knew what she was going to say. You recorded that from earlier."

The smile on his face widened. "I wanted you to hear from someone other than me..." he placed his hand over his heart. "... The one that loves you with their entire heart, the one that will always love you, thought about your line. I wanted to make sure, if you were nervous for even a moment that this would restore your faith in yourself."

"I'm not nervous. Not at all." I had found my Bloodline. My eyes filled with water, "I have everything I could ever want. I have you. I have the love of man and his entire heart."

He pulled me into his chest, resting against his heartbeat. "I have to be the luckiest man alive." He mumbled to himself.

His phone started to ring against my ear, from inside his coat. I leaned up, "Bells?" I asked listening to the chime of a ringing bell coming from his cell phone.

His cheeks were slightly flushed from embarrassment. "I hear it and no matter where I am or who is calling, I think of you." The butterflies in my stomach started to flicker again. He looked down at the screen. "We have to go. The car is here."

He stepped out into the dusk evening sky, standing tall and handsome, reaching down for me to take his hand. I intertwined my fingers into his, stepping out of the car and standing to see the flashbulbs begin to blind me. I looked into his eyes, and I saw happiness.

"Look." He said pointed at the building behind me. I turned slowly to see the storefront of my very first store. "Bells." He said. "I think it's the perfect name for your stores."

As overwhelming as everything was at that very moment there was more I had to do. I entered the store, seeing the store for the very first time, completely finished. The complete mess I thought it was just yesterday has turned around and is perfect.

The room was full of every person that had accepted their invite. Celebrities, editors, designers, and critics filled the room. Justin stood with his mother as I took to the front of the store to thank everyone.

I looked out over the crowd, wanting to cry I contained myself. It surprised me how many people showed up. "I would like to thank all of you for coming out and supporting the line I hope that everyone enjoys the shoes as much as I do. Instead of standing here and thanking everyone personally for everything they have done for me, I just want to say thank you. You know who you are. But I do need to thank Troy Carter who believed in this line and supported it through everything... and I mean everything..." I chuckled as did the entire room, they all read the stories, they all knew what played out in the press. "I need to thank the person that not only believed in this line, he believed in me. Justin has been my saving grace, my knight in shining armor... my love. I love you and thank you."

He nodded his head with a smile, his eyes filled with water. Lynn rubbed his back, showing him support. I was not only glad that he had his mother, I was glad that I had the privilege of knowing her and having the love of his mother as my own.

            I stepped over to his side, thanking him again privately. My world would be nothing without him in it. He looked up over my shoulder and back at me. He whispered, "I have a surprise for you."

I tilted my head to the side and looked at him confused. "What else could you possibly give me that I don't already have?"

The smile on his face was a different smile now. It was happy. It was content. It was relief. He nodded his head for me to look behind me, then leaned in whispering in his emotionally shaky voice, "Turn around."

Slowly my body turned to see a tall man in a dark gray suit staring back at me. I felt my stomach drop and the tears start to well up in my eyes, "Omar?" I said shaking. I looked over at Justin who was nodding his head yes, I turned back to someone I haven't seen in months.

I stepped closer to him, "Congratulations!" he said.

"Thank you." I managed to speak. "How did you... what are you..."

His deep sympathetic voice was comforting. "You're dating one of the biggest celebrities in the world. Your business is business to the world now. It was all over the papers, magazines and internet. It only took a simple Google search."

"You Googled me?" I smiled, slightly embarrassed.

"I did indeed. But I only Googled you, after receiving a personal invite from yours truly..." He pointed at Justin standing across the room, looking up every few seconds to check on me.

"Justin sent you the invite?" I asked trying not to cry like a blubbering fool.

"No." he said smiling. "Justin hand delivered the invitation. Bells... that man really loves you."

Tears of joy began to stream down my face. I look back over at him, I mouthed, ‘I love you.' A smile widens on his face. "I love him." I said turning back to Omar.

"I know you do." He said with such pride in his voice. "I'm happy for you. I'm proud of you Bells."

His words. My name. I was on overload. "Thank you." I said barely able to get those words out. "You called me Bells..." I said shocked.

"Bells, it fits you. Arabella is too stuffy for someone of your caliber. I have another surprise for you." He turned and took the hand of a woman standing behind him. She turned and I could see the face of my mother, red eyes from crying.

"The collection is amazing. You are an amazing designer, Arabella." She stepped closer to me, not saying a word as she lowers her head then looks up at me, "Is the life that you've chosen free from regret?"

I looked at her directly in her eyes. She needed to feel the truth in my words. "Yes. I don't regret a single choice I have made."

I could see her trying to swallow her pride. I had never seen such emotion on my mother's face as she looked me directly in my eyes. "We believed the bloodline. We lived and breathed the bloodline. But I watched you cry at night to keep alive the bloodline. I should have never left you to shoulder all the burden. You probably will never forgive me, god might not either." She was sincere for the first time in my life. "I'm sorry about everything... I'm sorry I doubted you. I'm sorry about your father... I... I'm just sorry. You're my daughter. I wanted you to be happy, that was the only thing I could ever want for my children." Her tears were honest and pure.

"Thank you..." I placed my hand over my heart, "I need you to know that this is my life now. I need you to accept every part of who I am today. Not who I was or who you want me to be. I need you to accept me...  for me."

"I promise you I will try. I want my daughter in my life. I want to get to know the man that you have fallen in love with."

I wanted to cry, but I didn't. I stood strong in front of her.  "You also have to accept that Justin and I may never get married. Getting married isn't something that is a priority in life for me. Love has nothing on a sheet of paper with a couple signatures."

She defensively asked, "Are you only saying that because he will never marry you?"

"I'm not saying that-" I began to speak however was interrupted by a deep clearing of the throat from behind me.

"Mrs. Kinsey..." he looked over at me taking my hand into his, "A few years ago, I would have said, no. I wasn't going to married anyone. Standing here today, that has changed. I would marry your daughter in a heartbeat. But like she said, our love isn't determined by a sheet a paper or her taking my last name. She is the love of my life, with or without a bloodline of our own."

My brother steps back closer, speaking directly to our mother, "Marriage shouldn't be a forced venture. Marriage should be exactly what they have. The love they have for one another is rare and untouchable. Something I wish I would've had the chance to find..." he lowered his head in disappointed.

"Omar..." he looked up at me, "You can make your own happy ending... you can change the bloodline."

"They would never understand." He mumbled.

"Who are they?" I asked adding, "At the end of the day, you have to be happy... I never thought you would understand why I had to make the choices I did... but look now."

"Erin would be crushed. This is all she has ever known... and Charlotte... she would never accept this."

Charlotte. I was taken back that she wasn't here. I thought maybe she would be the understanding one. I thought with her being a woman she would understand why I had to make the decisions I had to make. I was obviously wrong. "Charlotte may never understand. But that doesn't make it the right choice. Have you ever asked Erin how she felt about it? Maybe she feels the same way... and the only way you're going to get your answer is if you ask."

"This isn't something you need to worry about. This night is about you and you alone." Omar stepped back, making way for me to walk through the crowd. "Enjoy your achievement. It sure is something bigger than anyone I have ever known has accomplished."

I leaped into Justin's arms, whispering to him how much I loved him. I could tell him every day for the rest of our lives together and it still wouldn't be enough. I would owe him more than life in itself.

"Let's eat!" he said laughing, "We can't keep the belly of a hungry man waiting!"

I took his hand and he led me across the room to the table. I leaned in and whispered, "I can't thank you enough for all you have done for me. I love you."

"I owe... your Bloodline." He said proudly. "Without it, we wouldn't be standing here today."

I stood in front of him, placing my hands on his face, bringing his lips onto mine. Gently he lowered his arm to wrap around my back, pressing my body against his. He rested his head along the side of my face. "I am going to love you forever." He whispered softly as we began to sway back and forth to the soft strum of an acoustic guitar playing in the background. I closed my eyes took in the feeling of ever after.

Nobody had made me wise to the things a girl might find in the belly of a hungry man who don't care nothing about a bloodline. The devotion he had for the ones he loved had nothing to do with a Bloodline. He didn't believe in the Bloodline, he didn't understand the Bloodline.

Being an unwed woman living in the city, asking for a change made me the person I had become. Clinging to the bloodline could have cost me everything. I owed everything to the Bloodline. I believed in the Bloodline. I was saved by that Bloodline. Living and breathing by the Bloodline with all my might, made me to cry at night. Being left to shouldered all the burden broke my spirits down, but paying the price of the Bloodline was worth it in the end.

There was always so much riding on the Bloodline. But I owed everything to the Bloodline. Without the Bloodline, I would have never found the Bells from within. Without sacrificing everything I had known in the Bloodline, the lake would have never found its bells.

Bells had thinned out the Bloodline to a Lake.